The 1947 National League Division Three was the inaugural season of British speedway's National League Division Three[1] Speedway in 1947 was restricted in terms of fixtures and attendances following the fallout from World War II.[2]
| League | National League Division Three |
|---|---|
| Season | 1947 |
| No. of competitors | 8 |
| Champions | Eastbourne Eagles |
| Highest average | Peter Robinson |
| Division/s above | Division One Division Two |
With several new teams joining British Speedway in 1947, a third league tier was created for the first time.[3] The new teams included the Cradley Heath Cubs, racing at Dudley Wood Stadium,[4] Hanley Potters following an eight year absence from British speedway[5] and Exeter Falcons after a lease was signed by Motor Sports (Exeter) Ltd (led by Frank Buckland) with the landlords County Athletic Ground Company.[6]
Eastbourne Eagles won the title in their first season of league speedway.[7][8]
Peter Robinson of Southampton topped the averages.[9]
Final table
edit| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eastbourne Eagles | 28 | 18 | 0 | 10 | 1260 | 1057 | 36 | +203 |
| 2 | Cradley Heath Cubs | 28 | 18 | 0 | 10 | 1215 | 1116 | 36 | +99 |
| 3 | Southampton Saints | 28 | 17 | 1 | 10 | 1113 | 1197 | 35 | -84 |
| 4 | Exeter Falcons | 28 | 15 | 0 | 13 | 1193.5 | 1131.5 | 30 | +62 |
| 5 | Tamworth Hounds | 28 | 12 | 0 | 16 | 1159 | 1179 | 24 | -20 |
| 6 | Hanley Potters | 28 | 12 | 0 | 16 | 1113 | 1197 | 24 | -84 |
| 7 | Wombwell Colliers | 28 | 12 | 0 | 16 | 1100 | 1225 | 24 | -125 |
| 8 | Plymouth Devils | 28 | 7 | 1 | 20 | 995 | 1330 | 15 | -335 |
Leading averages
edit| Rider | Team | C.M.A. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Peter Robinson | Southampton | 10.57 |
| 2 | Cyril Roger | Exeter | 10.34 |
| 3 | Wally Green | Eastbourne | 10.20 |
| 4 | Basil Harris | Eastbourne | 9.54 |
| 5 | Bob Oakley | Southampton | 9.37 |
Riders & final averages
editCradley Heath
- Geoff Bennett 9.36
- Les Beaumont 8.40
- Eric Irons 7.44
- Jimmy Wright 7.04
- Bob Fletcher 6.90
- Alan Hunt 6.10
- Ray Beaumont 5.88
- Phil Malpass 5.03
- Frank Evans 4.34
Eastbourne
- Wally Green 10.20
- Basil Harris 9.46
- Jock Grierson 8.46
- Jimmy Coy 7.25
- Ken Tidbury 6.29
- Harry Saunders 5.71
- Ron Clarke 4.49
- Alan Briggs 3.71
- Bob Sivyer 3.20
- Eric Dunn 3.20
- Dennis Gray 3.00
Exeter
- Cyril Roger 10.31
- Don Hardy 7.86
- Stan Hodson 6.92
- Les Trim 6.62
- Allan Chambers 6.36
- Arthur Pilgrim 6.20
- Johnny Myson 6.18
- Sid Hazzard 6.08
- Bronco Slade 5.90
- Tom Crutcher 5.66
- Bill Williams 3.80
Hanley
- Dave Anderson 8.52
- Vic Pitcher 8.44
- Dick Howard 7.43
- Ray Harris 6.79
- Reg Gregory 6.15
- Les Jenkins 6.04
- Cyril Page 5.89
- Gil Blake 5.30
- George Fisher 5.23
- Bert Danner 3.89
Plymouth
- Ivan Kessell 7.81
- Stan Lanfear 7.55
- Alex Gray 6.84
- Charlie Challis 6.56
- Billy Newell 6.47
- Les Covell 5.71
- Len Read 5.10
- Doug Bell 4.26
- Jim Cashmore 4.20
- Bill Deegan 4.16
- Vic Gent 3.74
- Jack Milross 3.71
- Harold Sharpe 3.41
- Bill Sale 3.14
Southampton
- Peter Robinson 10.57
- Bob Oakley 9.37
- Jimmy Squibb 8.09
- George Bason 6.99
- Alf Kaines 6.47
- Pete Lansdale 6.22
- Bert Croucher 5.81
- Vic Collins 5.67
- Tony Buxey 3.73
- Matthew Hall 2.93
- Ron Lemon 2.80
- Bill Griffiths 2.40
Tamworth
- Steve Langton 8.00
- Arthur Payne 7.79
- Bill Harris 7.74
- Vic Pitcher 7.33
- Bill Dalton 6.67
- Ted Gibson 6.50
- Jack Baxter 6.64
- Cyril Page 6.27
- Charlie Oates 5.35
- Jack Ladd 5.18
- Fred Yates 4.89
- Jack Kidd 4.00
- Reg Challenger 2.29
Wombwell
- Harwood Pike 8.78
- Stan Hodson 8.15
- Len Tupling 7.88
- Bernard Tennant 7.11
- Bert Lacey 6.50
- Stan Beardsall 6.24
- Alf Elliott 6.12
- Red Hamley 6.03
- Bert Thomas 5.72
- Harry Modral 5.45
- Sam Marsland 5.38
- Ken Allick 5.33
- Jeff Bishop 4.79
- Gerry Williams 4.65
- Reg Challenger 4.00
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Speedway Researcher". www.speedwayresearcher.org.uk.
- ^ "Speedway must limit crowds". Daily Mirror. 27 March 1947. Retrieved 2 November 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ Rogers, Martin (1978). The Illustrated History of Speedway. Studio Publications (Ipswich) Ltd. p. 129. ISBN 0-904584-45-3.
- ^ "Speedway racing". Evening Despatch. 19 June 1947. Retrieved 15 June 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Hanley Speedway Thrills and Spills". Staffordshire Sentinel. 9 May 1947. Retrieved 15 June 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Speedway Racing". Western Morning News. 15 January 1947. Retrieved 23 September 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Major League Competitions". Speedway Archive.
- ^ "BRITISH LEAGUE TABLES - POST-WAR ERA (1946-1964)". Official British Speedway website. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
- ^ "National League Division 3 1947" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 11 November 2021.